Brick cutting apparatus.



PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

G. M. & A. P. STEELE. BRICK CUTTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC, 20, 1904 EE L a5 v m5 T .5 m CL 8 P N Ra W mmm U N am A VAL NL A UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE M. S'IEELE AND ALEXIS P. STEELE, OF S'INIESVILLE, NORTH CAROL] N A.

BRICK-CUTTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,941. dated June 20, 1905.

Anplicatiuu film; December 20, 1904. Serial No 237,627.

To (11/ lull/mt H nun IIHMFI'IIL.

Be it known that we, GLAEENoE M. STEELE and ALEXls l. STEELE, citizens ol the United States, and residents of Statesville. in the county of Iredell and State of NorthU-arolina, have invented certain new Improvements in llrickhitting Apparatus, of which the following is a specili aation.

()ur invention is an improvement in that class of machines or apparatus which are adapted to divide a continuous clay bar into brick lengths.

The invention is an iuun-ovement upon the patent of A. l. Steele, No. 720,751, dated 5 February 17, )!)3, in which a pair of toothed gears were employed to transmit motion to the reel or clay-bar cutter, the construction and coaction of the gears being such that the radius of the driving-gear decreases while the radius of the driven gear increases in relative proportion, so that the bar was cut or divided upon vertical lines.

()ur invention is embodied in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts 5 hereinafter described and claimed, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whiclr Figure 1 is a side view of our apparatus or machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section 3 taken in t'rontot' the cuttingapparatus. Fig. 2-) is a plan view of a part 01 the apparatus. Fig. -t is a perspective view of the reel or clay-bar cutter proper.

The clay bar .1 (see Fig. 1) is fed at constantly-varying speed from die of brick-machine, located at y upon an endless traveling belt 1, that runs upon horizontal pulleys or rollers Q 3, the latter being located directly under the cutting device or reel 4. The ten- 4 sion of the belt 1 is regulated, as required, by

the usual means to wit, adjustable bearings for one of the pulleys. The said bearings are supported by a suitable frame or superstructure 5, attached to and resting upon sills 6.

As shown best in Fig. a, the reel 4 is composed of two sets of radial arms 7, attached to a hub B, the same being arranged in vertical planes and their outer ends connected by wires 0 and separated by a distance greater than the width of the belt 1. The aforesaid hub 8 is keyed upon a horizontal shaft 111, (see Fig. 2.) having its hearings in the ends of a U-shaped frame 11. The latter is mounted to swing upon a counter-shaft 10, whereon the belt-pulley 3 is mounted. The shaft 10" is provided with a flanged beltpulley 12, to which in practice a belt will be applied in a suitable manner. The opposite end ol the said shaft is provided with a pinion or small spur-gear P, that meshes with a large gear [4, (see also Fig. 1.) the gear l t being keyed upon the shaft 1U, carrying the reel 4. Upon the opposite end of the shaft 10 is mounted a cam 15, the same being formed of a series of radial arms 15 and a flanged rim, the portions of the flange that intervene the ends of the arms 15 being bent slightly inward, as shown in Fig. 1. This liange 15 runs between rollers 16, which are journalcd on horizontal pins attached to a vertical standard or bracket 17, which is lirmly secured to the upper portion of the frame Since the U-shaped frame 11 is adapted to swing on the lat't 10, it is apparent that as the said shaft is driven the cutting-reel 4 and the flanged cam-wheel 15 will swing in a vertical plane, since the curvilinear flange travels between the two lixed rollers 16. In other words, the frame 11 oscillates in a vertical plane corresponding to the degree 01' curvature of the flange of the cam 15. It will be seen that the proportion and arrangement of parts are such that one of the transverse wires 9 of the reel 4 will begin to cut the clay bar .1- when the rollers 16 approach or begin to traverse one of the outwarclly-extending curves of the flange 15, the angle of the curve increasing as the wire passes through the clay bar, so that the wire is caused to make a vertical cut, and thereby a brick length is sovered in a vertical plane. If the upper 1101" tion of the swinging frame be held against or in any manner pressed toward the right-hand roller 16, (see Fig. 1,)the above-described operation will always result. In other words, the left-hand roller 16 is employed and is only necessary for the purpose of holding the cam 15 in due engagement with the right-hand roiler 16, upon which the due action of the cutter depends.

It will be seen that the above-described construction and arrangement of parts are exceedingly simple and that the desired operation and result are attained with but a small expenditure of power.

The brick lengths severed from the clay bar .r are delivered upon two receivii'ig-belts 18 and 19, the latter being the delivery-belt proper and mounted upon pulleys or rollers 21! 21 2; 52?, having their bearings in the frame 5. These pulleys are arranged and driven in an obvious way, as illustrated in the patent of 1. Steele, No. 720,751. bet'ore referred to, and therefore require no special description. The belts travel at the same speed. Attheir front ends they are hi'u'izontal, side by side, and the adjacent end of the feed-belt l is opposite both or opposite a part of each of said belts 18 19. \Vhen a brick length isdeliv ered upon them, it rests partly upon one and partly upon the other. The belt 18 is horizontal at the end nearest the reel; but its outer end runs upon a vertical pulley 24, the bights ot' the belt being twisted intermediately a iplarter-way around. It is obvious that by this eonstriu'tion and arrangement of parts the brick lengths will be turned from a horizontal to a vertical position, which they will maintain until delivered from the belt It) at the end of the apparatus. In order to prevent the brick lengths from being tilted too l'ar over as they leave the increasing slope of the belt 18, we provide rollers 25, (see Figs. 1, 3,) which are arranged vertical lyon suitable journals alongside the belt it).

It is to be understood that various changes may be made in the form, (amstruction, and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

\Vhat we claim is 1. In a brick-cutting apparatus of the class described, the cmnbination, with means for carrying the clay bar, of a rotating cuttingreel, a frame supporting the same and adapted to swing in a vertical plane, a cam also supported in said frame and adapted to swing therewith, and a lixed part or device with which said am works in contact, and means for imparting rotation to both the reel and cam, substal'itially as shown and described.

The combination, with means for carrying a clay bar, of an oscillating rotatable cutter, means for supporting and rotating it, and means tor impartinga movement bodily thereto iuthedireetion in which theclay bar moves, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with means for carrying a clay bar, of a frame adapted to swing in a vertical plane, a. wire reel, and a cam having a. curvilinear outline,mounted upon and adapted to swing with said l'rame, a rotatable shaft upon which the reel and cam are keyed, a rotatable cotmter-shat't serving as the fulcrum of the swinging frame, and gearing applied to the respective shafts and meshing in the manner described, a lived part with which the cam coacts as it revolves so that the reel is oscillated in a vertical plane, and means for driving the counter-shalt, substantially as described.

t. The combination, with the cutting mechanisnnolthetwoendless horizontal belts 18 and 1.) running on the adjacent pulleys at the same speed, the belt 111 being arranged llat and the belt 1% twisted from the horizontal at the receiving-point to the vertical at the opposite end, and the horizontal teed-belt 1 having its delivering end opposite adjacent portions of the two belts 18 and 19, sothat a brick length is delivered partly upon one and partly upon the other, and gradually turned from the twisted belt onto the llat belt, as speeilied.

( JLA 1t ENG 1 1 M. S'll l ELF. ALEXIS l. Stllfll llilfl.

itnesses:

IluNaY ()soiu: S'rnnlin, J. 11. ltoenwuui. 

